Unaware
by I.c.E.d.C.u.P.c.A.k.E
Summary: As Xanatos is nearing the end of his training Qui-Gon and his first apprentice, Noley, spend some quality time where she makes some observations about prospective students and the one Qui-Gon currently has. Though she seems to get it, Qui-Gon is unaware.


Oi, another one shot before I get the courage to post anything substantial in this fandom. So, seeing as I killed her off in the last fic I wrote, I figured I'd give Qui-Gon's first apprentice a chance at a real role. Also, I thought it would be interesting to have Qui-Gon encounter all of his Padawan's on the same day in one way or another, so that's the premise of this fic. Of course I own nothing. I hope you enjoy. Please leave me some feedback.

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><p><strong>Unaware.<strong>

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><p>"You know what I think of him Qui-Gon, I don't know why you won't listen." A young woman muttered as she and the infamous Jedi Master walked down a hallway. "I think the same thing every one thinks, except for <em>you<em> that is." She finished, lightly linking her arms behind her back.

The woman was in her mid to late twenties, with dark hair and fair skin. She walked next to Qui-Gon as they approached the Crèche of the temple. Qui-Gon looked down at her and rose an eyebrow. "And what does every one think?" He asked, his tone almost daring her to answer, she wasn't afraid to let her thoughts be known.

"He's too angry. He's too…dark." She insisted, causing a deep frown to hit Qui-Gon's lips.

_Why can't they see the potential he has? He isn't Dark._ Qui-Gon was silent for a moment but shook his head and heaved a sigh. After briefly closing his eyes he opened them once more and motioned towards a door. "Why have you brought me here Noley?" He asked, abruptly changing the subject. He didn't want to be discussing her disapproval of his current Padawan.

"The Council has been pressuring me to take an Apprentice." She answered with a shrug. "I wanted to feel a bit nostalgic about when I was an Initiate and maybe that will help me pick the right one." She finished honestly.

"So why am I here?" He asked again, not feeling she had answered him.

"Well what made you choose me as an Apprentice?" She asked curiously as they approached the door. It had a window in it, so you could see the children on the other side. They were about 2-3 years old. Noley smiled as she looked at them, memories of her time as a youngling coming up.

Qui-Gon looked into the window as well, a smile coming to his lips as he thought about his first meeting with Noley. "I don't feel like I had much choice in the matter. You were rather adamant about it." He jested, causing Noley to give him a long look. He had been the one to pressure he into being his Apprentice. Not that she was really against it, but she had been young, and unsure if she was ready for such one on one training.

"Was not." She insisted. "I want an honest answer Qui-Gon. What did you see in me that you didn't see in others?" She pressed, her bright hazel eyes locking with his, and teeming with curiosity. Qui-Gon's face softened, and he smiled at her kindly.

"You're stubbornness for one." He answered honestly. "I didn't want an apprentice who would follow me blindly. And you definitely questioned enough of my orders to fulfill that want." He said, as they stepped away from the door and slowly meandered to another. Noley smirked a little.

"I suppose I was a bit…disobedient." She admitted bashfully. "But I turned out alright." She said proudly of herself, and Qui-Gon nodded in agreement. "What else?" She asked, and if Qui-Gon could read her as well as he used, which he was confident he could, than he knew he questioning was more about them than her research for an Apprentice

"You are very strong in the force." He continued.

"Every one says that about their Padawans." She countered, feeling like he was giving easy answers.

Qui-Gon chuckled and nodded. "True, but not everyone is honest about it." He responded, earning another smile from Noley. "You had courage. And…spunk." He added and Noley chuckled a bit herself.

"Spunk?" She questioned as they approached the door and looked in to see children practicing force techniques. These children were about 8-9 years old, and they watched through the door a bit longer than the last one.

"Yes. You were quite spunky. You've fizzled out over the years. You're rather boring now. Dragging me through the Crèche as you are." He joked and Noley laughed, shaking her head. As their laughter died Qui-Gon turned a bit more serious. "And there was a connection between you and I. I just knew we would make a good team. And we did." He said, gently placing a hand on her shoulder.

Noley nodded and locked eyes with her former Master. "We did." She responded, and then slowly looked back to the door. Qui-Gon let his hand fall and he joined her watching again. They were silent for a moment and Noley leaned against the door as she watched the children manipulate clay to make different shapes with the force.

"But that doesn't mean that's what you should look for." He added, after a moment of silence. Noley turned back to face him, with a hint of confusion. Before she could ask a question Qui-Gon continued. "That is what I wanted in a Padawan Noley. And it has changed since you have been Knighted, and since taking Xanatos." Noley didn't seem to know how to take the last statement, and her confusion increased. "It's not bad that it's changed." He assured her, smiling. "But you have changed _me_, and I didn't want someone to replace _you_. My standards were different. I expected different things." He explained. "Not better or worse." He finished, and Noley nodded.

"So for every one it's different." She said, and Qui-Gon nodded. "What am I supposed to do then? How will I know who is the right Padawan for me?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. "Who I'll be the right Master for?" She continued.

Qui-Gon smirked a bit. "When you meet them you'll know. I knew instantly when I met you. The same was with Xanatos." He continued, stopping quickly. He shouldn't have brought up his current apprentice. Not after just being able to change the subject. Noley rolled her eyes at the mention of his name.

"Perhaps Xanatos is not the Padawan for you Qui-Gon." She said, turning back to the window to avoid looking into his eyes.

"My Padawan isn't your concern Noley." He told her, not tensely, but more as of a reminder.

"No, but I worry about you. I'm afraid you'll end up hurt by him in some way. I can just feel it. Something is going to happen." She said firmly, and slowly turned back to Qui-Gon. "I just don't want you hurt." She admitted, smiling lightly. Qui-Gon noted that the way she said it made him feel that something serious was bothering her. But as he didn't want to continue talking about her disapproval, he simply responded.

"Thank you, but believe it or not I'm capable of taking care of myself." He said, smirking a bit. Noley looked at him in disbelief, then turned back to the window, she seemed fixated on something.

"You know how I feel on the matter." She said, deciding to let it drop. She then pointed to something. "You see that?" She asked, indicating a child with practically white hair. "He's been tormenting that poor boy." She muttered, pointing to one sitting two people away from him. "Whenever he tries retaliating he ends up getting in trouble, but he's just defending himself." Noley explain and looked at Qui-Gon. "That isn't fair." She said and he nodded.

"Then do something about it." He encouraged.

Noley nodded and spotted a nearby Crèche worker. "Excuse me." She asked politely and the woman came over. "Can you tell me who that boy is?" She asked, pointing to the one with white hair.

"That would be Bruck Chun." The worker replied kindly. Noley nodded and then pointed to the child Bruck had been tormenting.

"And him?" She asked. "The one with brownish ginger hair?" She asked.

"Oh that's Obi-Wan Kenobi." She answered and Noley nodded.

"Thank you." She said and the worker walked off. Noley looked back into the window at Bruck and then watched as he threw a bit of clay at Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan spun at him and went to launch his own attack just as the teacher turned and started to discipline him. That was when Noley opened the door and interrupted her. "Excuse me, can I see Initiate Kenobi for a moment?" She asked, kindly. The teacher nodded.

Obi-Wan timidly stood and, after casting a quick glance to Bruck, left the room and slipped past Noley. Qui-Gon looked down at the boy, arms folded curiously. He wondered how Noley would handle the situation. She'd been a Knight for nearly 9 years now, but he knew she didn't have much experience around children. Noley closed the door and turned around to look at Obi-Wan, who looked guilty.

"I'm in trouble, aren't I?" He asked, glum.

"Do you often get in trouble Obi-Wan?" Noley asked curiously.

Obi-Wan nodded. "But it isn't my fault!" He said devoutly. "Bruck always picks on me. And he always gets away with it. It isn't fair!" He shouted, and Noley rose a hand to get him to calm down. Obi-Wan looked down at the floor bashfully.

"How does he pick on your Obi-Wan?" She asked, wondering how often this actually happened.

"He calls me names, like Oafy-Wan. And he throws things at me." He muttered, still looking at the ground. Noley frowned, her heart reaching out to the young child. Qui-Gon felt bad as well. Name calling and throwing were traits not acceptable of a Jedi. But neither was revenge.

"You're right, that isn't very fair of him." Noley consoled. Qui-Gon decided to speak.

"Perhaps you should stop trying to retaliate." Qui-Gon offered, Obi-Wan turned up to look at him and gray eyes locked with blue. Something strange then happened to Qui-Gon. A tingle of the force. It whispered something to him, something too faint to make out.

"Re-tal-i-ate?" Obi-Wan asked, too young to know what the word meant.

"He means you shouldn't do mean things to Bruck even if he does them to you." Noley explained, causing Obi-Wan to turn back to her. The feeling faded from Qui-Gon as Obi-Wan looked away.

"But it isn't fair." Obi-Wan insisted.

"We will speak to your teachers about Bruck's behavior, however, that doesn't give you an excuse to act out of anger." Qui-Gon reprimanded. Obi-Wan bowed his head once more.

"Thank you." He said quietly, though was clearly embarrassed about his actions. Qui-Gon and Noley nodded in return and then she took a few steps back to the door and put her hand on the handle.

"You're welcome Obi-Wan. Remember, you're accountable for yourself, not him. Just don't listen to him, he'll get bored of picking on you if you stop giving him reactions." Noley assured, and Obi-Wan nodded, slowly walking towards the door. Noley softly opened it and Obi-Wan slipped inside, and retook his seat. The two watched him for a moment, and then turned and walked away from the door.

"Such an angry child." Qui-Gon commented. "He will never be a Knight." He said stubbornly, earning a questioning look from Noley. Even as he said it something nagged at Qui-Gon. The force whispered again, once again too quietly. It was trying to tell him something, but he wasn't trying hard enough to listen.

"He is young. And being treated unfairly. I wouldn't be so quick to judge him." She said. _Not when your own Apprentice is so much worse._ She thought to herself. They were quiet for a moment longer and then walked away from the Crèche. "Thank you for coming with me." Noley said, smiling up at him.

Qui-Gon nodded. "My pleasure. Just…" He paused. "Think about what it is you want to be _stuck_ with for the next decade. And then you'll know exactly what you're looking for in an Apprentice." He said smiling at her adoringly.

"Oh so you were stuck with me huh?" She asked frowning in mock pain. "And I thought we were so close." She said, beginning some fake tears. She put her hand over her heart and gave a fake sob. Qui-Gon chuckled and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"Well we were stuck when you crash landed us on Tre'Hanal." He pointed out as they stepped into a turbolift.

"At least it was Tre'Hanal and not Hoth." She said, smirking up at him. Qui-Gon nodded in agreement.

"At least it was Tre'Hanal." He said and then shook his head. His arm dropped once more and then rested to his side. The turbolift started moving and Qui-Gon looked down at her. "You'll make a wonderful Master Noley. Don't doubt yourself so much." He said, and she nodded apprehensively.

"I'm just afraid I won't be as good as you." She admitted and Qui-Gon let out a quick laugh of shock.

"I am not that great of a Master." He said humbly.

"You were to me." She spoke with sincerity and Qui-Gon gently embraced her. She wrapped her arms around his neck as the turbolift came to a stop.

"I thank you." He said, and then broke the embrace. "I must meet my Padawan. We are leaving on a mission. Just think about what I said." He said as he began stepping out of the lift. "I wish you luck." He said and Noley nodded.

"May the Force be with you." She said, and then Qui-Gon exited the lift and Noley continued towards her own quarters.

Qui-Gon approached his and Xanatos' shared apartment and entered to find his Padawan reading at their couch. Xanatos looked up and gave a small smile. "We have a mission Padawan." Qui-Gon said, and instantly Xanatos' eyes brimmed with excitement.

"Where to this time?" He asked curiously.

"Your home-world. We're going to Telos."

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><p>From a distance Noley watched the ship take off that held her former Master and his current Padawan. Beside her a small figure approached, marked by soft clicks of a stick hitting the ground. "They're off." Noley said, sighing lightly as she looked down a Master Yoda who pensively held his gimmer stick.<p>

"How true your vision was, we do not know." Master Yoda counseled and Noley sighed once more, closing her eyes a bit.

"All I know is Xanatos is going to do something bad to him on Telos." Noley said firmly. She let her arms fall to her side and she looked down at Master Yoda with a forlorn frown. "What if he tries to kill him?" She asked, fearfully.

"Care much for your former Master you do." Master Yoda responded, and Noley nodded quickly. "If your vision is true, need those who care for him Qui-Gon will. Need strength, he will."

"Qui-Gon has always been there for me." She responded, watching as the transport left the atmosphere. "I just wish I could have told him about the vision. Maybe he would have listened." She urged.

Master Yoda shook his head. "Unaware, Qui-Gon must be. Partake in this mission, he must. His destiny, it is."

"Why Master Yoda? He could end up dead, or…in so much pain..." She whispered compassionately, but Yoda shook his head.

"Die, a part of him might. Reborn, it will be." Yoda said confidently.

The two were quiet for a moment, and then Noley looked at him as something else entered her mind. "He and I went to the Crèche today. We met an interesting boy. Obi-Wan Kenobi. He's being picked on." She informed, and Yoda looked up at her curiously. "Qui-Gon said he was too angry. That he'd never be a knight. I disagree." She finished and Yoda got a strange twinkle in his eyes.

"Never be a Knight you say?" He asked, and Noley nodded. "Interesting." He muttered, and then he turned to walk back into the Temple. Noley followed him a half step behind. "Big plans the Force has for Jinn and Kenobi. And what an interesting way to have it start. With both of them completely unaware."

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><p>So once again, hope you enjoyed. Please leave me some feedback, I'd love to know what you think.<p> 


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